Between Light and Shadow
by thinkture
Summary: Set within the "Bothering" timeline by Lavender and Hay. Sister Julienne takes a moment to think of her relationship. Definitely Patrienne and definitely an M, and most certainly just a one-shot. Disclaimer: Written not for any monetary gain.


She lightly stroked his face with her fingertips as he slept, traced the contours from his forehead, temple then jawline. In the darkened confines of his office at the maternity clinic, there was barely any light to go by but she knew his face as intimately as he knew her body.

The memory of what they had just done minutes earlier made her redden a little, and goose bumps broke out on her arm. She shivered a little. The slightest movement of her body made him react instinctively, snuggling closer to her, and putting his face closer to her cheek, near her earlobe.

Dawn must have barely broken yet, she mused. She and Nurse Lee were on duty for the evening and the call had come in that Rachel Murdock was in labor. She showed symptoms of pre-eclampsia which made her first-time pregnancy a complicated one. Early on, Rachel, her husband and her mother had consented that she give birth in the maternity clinic, under the supervision of Doctor Turner.

At one o'clock in the morning, Rachel had been brought into the clinic assisted by her, and showing early signs of labor. Chloral hydrate was administered and for now Rachel was still blessedly asleep and hopefully would remain so for a few more hours.

She had gone into Dr. Turner's office to inform him of the chloral hydrate administration and apprise him of Rachel's current condition. The next thing she knew, Patrick was kissing her urgently against the wall as his hands quickly removed her veil and cap, and unfastened her habit.

Soon enough, she herself had undone his trousers, matching the urgency of his actions as she tugged his shirt from his shoulders while his mouth left a trail of hot kisses on the slender column of her throat.

"Patrick… darling," she moaned, as lust threatened to engulf them both wholly.

He surprised her by carrying her bodily to the examination table and drawing the curtains around them closed.

There was no other way to describe how he looked at her then, naked on the table save for her old-fashioned knickers. His eyes were dark and hungry, roaming on her body brazenly as he removed the last of his own clothing. She stared back at him, propped on her elbows on the narrow space, as she took in his arousal.

"I want you, I want you like _this_," his voice hoarse with desire, his hands sensuously gliding over her legs from ankle to calf, leaving a fevered wake on her skin, his fingers wandering higher and higher .

Her breath hitched as he gently pushed her hips up, causing her knees to bend, and removed the remaining scrap of material on her. His right hand brushed her intimately, causing her to moan again, her head tilting back as a wave of pleasure coursed through her body. His lips paid homage to her breasts, alternately nuzzling and sucking, sending her keening again and again.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered reverently.

And then he was inside her, both of them panting as their hips surged in unison, as their passion, their ardor for each other took over. Patrick was breathless, his eyes wild as he roughly locked lips with her as they approached their inevitable peak.

She was flying; she was soaring, tiny pinpricks of light exploding behind her closed eyes, as she came to a shuddering climax. She only vaguely heard Patrick gasping her name aloud as he spilled himself into her, his hips bucking against hers.

Now, as they lay face to face in the gray shadows of their curtained hideaway, she couldn't help kissing his forehead as he slept. He was exhausted, she knew, not just from their lovemaking but from the demands of his profession. This was her gift to him, the very rare time they spend together – connecting, reconnecting, rekindling, and reinforcing their humanity that threatened to be buried by duty, responsibility, vocation and loneliness.

She placed a soft kiss on his lips as he continued to slumber. Dawn had yet to come.


End file.
